News that the Government’s misnamed Fair Pay Agreements have put New Zealand on a Top 40 list for possible prosecution by the International Labour Organisation is beyond embarrassing, National’s Workplace Relations & Safety spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says.

“The Fair Pay Agreements Labour are currently trying to push through Parliament would breach the International Labour Organisation convention rules around voluntary bargaining.

“Employers and workers would be forced into bargaining and swept along with sector-wide deals, regardless of their wishes or special circumstances.

“At a time when our workplaces need to be flexible and agile and people value flexibility more than ever, this will bind businesses up with new rules, costs and rigidity and make us less competitive.

“It’s yet another example of the ‘Labour Government knows best’ – better than people actually living their lives, employees and employers trying to arrange things for themselves, in a way that works for them.

“National strongly opposes Labour’s plan to force mandatory national pay agreements on workers and businesses.”